1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter of this specification is in the field of systems for detecting incarcerations and notifying interested parties of the same.
2. Background of the Invention
Incarcerations and other forms of imprisonment of an individual are known to occur under authority of a state or federal government as a form of punishment. Frequently, incarcerations are not planned by the arrested individual. Unplanned incarcerations can be problematic because, usually, communication by the arrested individual is restricted so that loved ones or employers may not be immediately made aware of the incarcerated person being in custody. For instance, some jurisdictions afford the arrested individual the right to make a telephone call, but in some states, the arrested individual may only make a telephone call to contact a lawyer or arrange for bail. Additionally, jail conditions can vary drastically throughout the country and the world, so it may be difficult, if not impossible, for an incarcerated person to communicate to an attorney, friend, or family member that they have been incarcerated.
Moreover, an individual may not have a list of contacts with them or know any third party contact information when they are arrested and therefore, will be unable to contact anyone when given the opportunity to use a telephone. Thus, a list of designated contacts will be helpful in situations where an arrested individual is without any third party contact information.
Currently there are several systems that send an automatic message to inform people of emergencies, amber alerts, or other calamities. For instance: WO 2004114694 A1 (2004) by Kennedy teaches a notification system that sends a text message to subscribers when there is an Amber Alert; WO 2013009620 A1 (2012) by Ramos teaches a system that will send emails or text messages in the event of a weather emergency, natural disaster, terrorist event, or other disaster; EP09322532B1 (2003) to Karlsson teaches a system that sends a text message in the event of a damage to a parked automobile; U.S. Pat. No. 8,554,170 B2 (2013) to Franz teaches a system that will send an alert to a cell phone user's designated emergency contact if 911 is dialed. However, no system is known to currently exist that allows a user to input a set of contacts and sends a notification to a contact when a person is arrested or otherwise incarcerated.